Thursday, August 14, 2008

Meds and Muzzles

Jack is back to his old self and says he's forgotten about "the incident" when he turned Smurf blue in the face. The woman is watching him like a hawk and is concocting all sorts of things in the blender device to get his meds into him. Jack can smell one molecule of antibiotic in four gallons of feed so it's proved a challenge for herself. When she isn't looking for a nano second he tries to slide it under the divider to my side of the stall but so far I haven't had time to so much as taste it before it's rudely snatched away and put back in with Jack.

Jack is very touched by the concern shown by his blog friends and would like to say " it's mighty kind and mos appreciated by a ole timer". It seems some of our blog friends are also enduring health issues such as getting their heads stuck in fences and their hoofs afflicted with the dreaded abcess. Good grief, it's a veritable season of plagues. The foot man caught a touch of thrush in Jack's right hind today and Jack wasn't too pleased by the odoriferous liquid that gets squirted on it. Molly's mud fever is almost gone but it seems the record breaking rain we've had is responsible for both ailments. I'm sticking to high ground.

I've included a photo of self in the unspeakable anti-grazing muzzle. The endless rain has produced a bumper crop of grass and this is their idea of a solution to what they call my ever-expanding waistline. What nonsense. They know perfectly it's my luxuriant winter coat coming in and not layers of what they term donkey cellulite. Philistines.

The potato harvest is underway now the fields are a bit drier and I will write a full report on this highlight of my summer. I might as well - there's nothing else to be done when wearing a muzzle.

7 comments:

billie said...

Oh, Sheaffer, I am shuddering in horror at that contraption you're wearing!

I think everyone in my barn would go into mutiny if I brought one of those in.

I thought of you last night - Rafer Johnson threw a little donkey fit worthy of the great TJ. He was separated from Salina (this is a regular routine, nothing new) so she could eat her dinner in peace. For some reason he had a little tantrum, kicking and bucking. :0

When the tantrum was not successful in getting the barn doors open, it ended, and Rafer got a hug and some neck rubbing. I think he must be going through donkey adolescence!

I think we're all ready for cooler temps and relief from the biting things.

robert5721 said...

Sheaffer,
QUICK!! Act like you are choking!! that piece of *&^*&&^) on your magnificent head is a travesty of the highest order!! REVOLT !! I have a manual for bomb making that I will send you....This is insidious mistreatment of DONKEYS....IT WILL NOT BE TOLERATED....Dicey has her ICE SHOES all sharpened up and ready, Liebbie and the rest of the crew are ready to leave to come and liberate you from this hieneous mis-treatment !!
Mr Gale

ponymaid said...

billie and Mr.Gale, thank you for commiserating with my doleful state. It's all because of the "F" word (you know - founder). The woman is obsessed with protecting me from it; I'm quite capable of making my own dietary decisions, thank you very much. Pahhh! Nevermind, today I followed her around, pressing the hated muzzle against her person at every opportunity and sighing deeply. She's feeling miserable and guilty, as she should. I have a choice of staying in the barn or wearing the muzzle while the others are in the front paddock. This is a facist state when a donkey has those sorts of choices.

billie, Rafer is strengthening his negotiation skills. Sometimes a well-executed tantrum will yield the desired results. The age of two seems to have this effect on young donkeys (and certain mules).

Mr. Gale, I have a strong scientific bent and am very interested in reading the manual you mention. Hehhehheh, kaboom! and the woman wonders where her eyebrows went! Oh my, I just snorted a shaving up my nose. And please send in the troops asap - I know they won't rest till this contraption is reduced to a molecular state.

billie said...

Sheaffer, I know you can take care of yourself, but I'm glad the woman is being extra careful with your excellent, brilliant self.

I have two very easy keeper horses so we do some restricting as needed and I have extra magnesium oxide blended into their flax supplement, which seems to help.

And we have the dreaded "dry lot" paddock, which can be used to give certain herd members breaks from the green stuff. :)

robert5721 said...

Billie,
magnesium oxide....how does that work? is it good stuff? I may need to get some of it....
Mr Gale

billie said...

I cannot give you a complete breakdown as to how it works in the system, but it seems to provide a protective "buffer" for horses prone to founder. We haven't had founders, but two of my horses are very easy to gain weight and I wanted to take some precautions.

I have read that the mag ox can actually reduce the cresty necks in severely obese horses.

This spring is the first I had the extra mag ox added in and it's the first spring no one had to be pulled off the green stuff for hours/day. We rotate fields and early in the season I do follow a very strict regimen about how long they can graze - starting at 10-15 minutes per day and increasing about 10 minutes per day until they're up to several hours.

We also do night-time turn-out in the summer and that gets them off the grass during the time the sugars are highest.

(Sheaffer, close your ears... just for a moment):

whisper: I am all for grazing muzzles if they're needed. But our pony would never rest until he got his off - so I've tried everything but that and so far, it's working out okay.

Okay, Sheaffer. If you listened in, you must forgive me. :)

ponymaid said...

Ackkk, billie, you believe in the cursed things? I'm utterly crushed. However, I never fight the atrocity, I just try to bear it with an aloof and wounded dignity. At least it makes the woman feel miserable - which is only fair if I have to be miserable. I put a few good chew marks on Molly's new breastcollar today so the woman will know the meaning of mental anguish.